Police: Alcohol factor in Navy midshipman death on Assateague

Apr. 1, 2014

Navy midshipman Hans Loewen / ap

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Staff Writer

ANNAPOLIS — Police said alcohol was a factor in the death of a 20-year-old Naval Academy midshipman who died from a skateboarding accident at Assateague Island National Seashore.

Academy officials said Hans Loewen of Hampstead, N.C., died March 29 while comatose at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, with his family by his side.

According to Lt. Ed Schreier, a spokesman for the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, the accident happened between 9:30 and 10:30 p.m. on March 22. Loewen was riding his skateboard while holding onto the driver’s side of the Jeep. The vehicle was traveling about 15 mph, and held the driver and two passengers, all of whom also attend the Naval Academy.

The left rear tire came in contact with the skateboard, which caused the victim to be ejected from the skateboard, Schreier said. He hit the side of the Jeep, then the ground, and then the left rear tire ran over his head.

When asked if the midshipmen had been drinking, Schreier replied: “Alcohol is a factor. We're trying to determine how much.”

Schreier also said police have to subpoena the victim’s medical records to get the victim's blood-alcohol concentration levels.

The driver of the Jeep was Brandon Ah, 20, of Virginia. Schreier said Ah had been consuming alcohol at the time of the accident.

The investigation into the incident continues, and the decision whether to file criminal charges against the driver will be left up to the Worcester County State’s Attorney’s Office, Schreier also said.

“Since there’s a death now, that kind of changes things,” he said.

Ted Morlock, a National Park Service ranger at Assateague Island National Seashore, said the accident occurred on the park’s Bayside Drive, a road that leads to campsites and to Chincoteague Bay. Morlock said skateboarding in that area of the park is not permitted, day or night, and that Loewen’s skateboarding while hanging onto a car is also illegal.

Morlock said he’s unaware of any motor vehicle-related fatality at Assateague Island National Seashore in the nine years he’s been working at the park.

In a statement, Naval Academy Superintendent Michael Miller said Loewen was a vibrant midshipman who lived life to the fullest.

Loewen was a midshipman third class and oceanography major at the academy. He was involved with the academy’s adventure racing team, rock climbing club and the American Nuclear Society.